strongman saleh shot dead as he tries to flee
{ 1942 - 2017 }
sanaa — Veteran former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in a shooting on Monday after switching sides in Yemen’s civil war, abandoning his Iran aligned Houthi allies in favour of a Saudi-led coalition, foes and supporters said.
Sources in the Houthi militia said its fighters stopped Saleh’s armoured vehicle with an RPG rocket outside the embattled capital Sanaa and then shot him dead. Sources in Saleh’s party confirmed he died in an attack on his convoy.
Unverified footage of his bloodied body lolling in a blanket circulated just days after he tore up his alliance with the Houthis. Residents reported that the situation in Sanaa had calmed. Most people were indoors, and streets were deserted amid a state of fear as the Houthis asserted full control. Saudi-led aircraft continued to fly overhead. —
PeRsonAl Birth date: March 21, 1942 Birth place: Bayt Al Ahmar, Kingdom of Yemen Children: Has children, including sons Ahmed and Khaled education: Did not finish elementary school
Military service: Joined the army at a young age, rose to the rank of colonel Religion: Zaydi Shia PolitiCAl • Ali Abdullah Saleh took part in a coup in 1974 • He fought several wars against Houthis between 2004-2010 • Saleh was injured in missile attack by rebels in 2011 • A UN panel of experts accused him of corruption in 2015 • Saleh’s alliance with Houthis began to collapse in mid-2017 • He was confirmed dead in Houthi rebels attack on Dec 4, 2017